7.04 - The Spark and Fire

June - December 1941: Operation Barbarossa

More than three million Nazi forces and 3,000 tanks invade the Soviet Union, in violation of the Nonaggression Pact the two nations had signed. Stalin calls for Allied assistance, but it is largely the Soviet army that fights the advancing German forces. The German army headed deep into Soviet territory, which proved to be a mistake when winter arrived. The weather made it difficult for soldier reinforcements and supplies to be replenished. Many German soldiers starved or froze to death. The Soviet forces took advantage of the conditions and were able to consolidate their power to surround the German army in the Battle of Stalingrad. (Stalingrad: a city in Russia that was severely bombed by the Germans in November 1942). The Soviets were victorious on February 2, 1943. Hitler was not able to capture Moscow. Soviet victory at Stalingrad marks the failure of Operation Barbarossa and a turning point in the war on the eastern front. It is considered one of the largest battles in human history and the most brutal of World War II.

April, 1940: Nazis Occupy Denmark and Norway

Nazi forces invade Denmark and Norway. Hitler occupies these nations in order to ensure a safe supply route for Swedish ore to Germany. The Germans also establish a military base in Norway from which they try to break the British naval blockade on Germany.

Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched an attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. All eight U.S. battleships there were damaged, and four were sunk. The provocation ensured that the United States would enter the war.

September 1939: Nazis Invade Poland

On September 1, Hitler invades Poland. On September 3, Britain and France declare war on Germany. World War II officially begins.

What was the Phony War and when did it occur?

It took exactly four weeks for the German army to overwhelm Poland; they invaded on September 1, and on September 28, the Polish government surrendered and became part of the expanding German Empire. From September of 1939 to May of 1940, the British and French had declared war against the Germans but did not attack—they simply did not feel ready, and so were scrambling to prepare. More than eight months passed, during which the Germans built up a massive arsenal. This period was nicknamed the Phony War because the armies were not attacking. On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. It took Germany six weeks to force their governments to surrender. the Germans' ally Italy joined them in the fight and began fighting British forces in Egypt, and the Japanese were more than two years into their invasion of China.

December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Attack

Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. After the Japanese execute a surprise bombing attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, about 2,500 U.S. citizens are killed. The next day, President Roosevelt signs a declaration of war against the Japanese. Then Hitler declares war on the United States in support of Japan. The United States enters World War II on the side of the Allies with a "Europe first strategy." The threat to the Allies from Germany was greater than the threat posed by Japan. The United States focused their efforts to defeat the Nazis on the European front before turning their attention on Japan in what became known as the Pacific Theater.

D-Day (Normandy) Invasion

June 6, 1944. The allies hit Germany in force. More than 11,000 planes prepared the way, attempting to destroy German communication and transportation networks and soften nazi beach defenses

August 25, 1944: Liberation of Paris

Liberation of Paris. Allied forces have defeated and pushed back German forces occupying regions around Paris. On this date, the Allies liberate the French capital.

Blitzkrieg

"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939

Describe the political and military strategies Germany implemented during WWII: German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

(1939) a peace agreement signed by Hilter and Stalin, which Hilter broke when the German military invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

Battle of Midway

1942 World War II battle between the United States and Japan, a turning point in the war in the Pacific

Battle of El Alamein

1942-British victory in WWII that stopped the Axis forces from advancing into Northern Africa

Yalta Conference

1945 Meeting with US president FDR, British Prime Minister(PM) Winston Churchill, and and Soviet Leader Stalin during WWII to plan for post-war

island hopping

A military strategy used during World War II that involved selectively attacking specific enemy-held islands and bypassing others

May 4 - 8, 1942: Battle of Coral Sea

Battle of Coral Sea (a Japanese defeat in World War II (May 1942); the first naval battle fought entirely by planes based on aircraft carriers): A fierce battle between bombers and battleships, as Japan and forces from the United States and Australia engage. Losses of both life and material are heavy on both sides. The battle, however, is indecisive. Both sides claim victory.

June 4, 1942: Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway (a Pacific atoll that was the site of a decisive Allied victory against the Japanese, which turned the tide of the war): The Japanese wanted to control Midway, which is just 1,000 miles from Hawaii. In this battle, U.S. forces defeat the Japanese. This decisive battle gives the United States the impetus and ability to begin to push the Japanese out of the Pacific.

December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945: Battle of the Bulge and Other Major Battles on the Western Front

Battle of the Bulge. A German surprise offensive launched in the heavily wooded region of the Ardennes in Belgium. The Allies lose ground until reinforcements, in the form of General George S. Patton's Third Army, arrives and turns the tide of battle. After weeks of fighting, the Germans are defeated. It is the last Nazi offensive of World War II.

October 23, 1942: Battle of El Alamein

Before WWII, the Allied and Axis powers had interests in Africa, where they established many colonies. North African territories were considered to be strategic locations for trade and resources in the Mediterranean region. The turning point of the war in North Africa was the Second Battle of El Alamein. Under British General Montgomery, Allied forces in North Africa (mainly Libya and Egypt) attack the joint German-Italian army there. The Axis forces are under the skilled leadership of German Field-Marshall Rommel (German field marshal and head of the German North African campaign (1941-43)). During this battle, while Montgomery's forces fight a ground battle, Rommel's forces are pounded from the air by Allied bombers. The Axis army is on the run. Montgomery's forces chase the ragged remnants of Rommel's forces 1,500 miles across the Sahara before they finally surrender to Allied forces on May 12, 1943.

June 11, 1940: Italy Enters the War

Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, officially entered into an alliance known as the Pact of Steel with Germany on May 22, 1939. However, Italy was not prepared for war when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and doesn't enter the war until the summer of 1940.

Why did the U.S. enter WWII?

Bombing of Pearl Harbor Then, on December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. About 2,500 Americans were killed. This direct attack against U.S. soil and U.S. citizens galvanized the public, which now demanded U.S. entry into the war to defeat the aggressors. The U.S. military would engage the Axis Powers in Europe and the Japanese in the Pacific.

July 1943: Italian Invasion

British and U.S. forces invade Sicily in July and have taken it one month later. The Italian campaign moves into mainland Italy, where there is fierce fighting but ultimate victory. Italy surrenders to the Allies on September 3, 1943. Mussolini has already been thrown out of office, but the Germans protect him and take control of the Italian army, blocking further Allied advances through Italy. However, in June 1944, the Allies manage to capture and control Rome.

May 26, 1940: Dunkirk Rescue

British soldiers are trapped in France on the beach at Dunkirk by surrounding Nazi forces who fire on them ceaselessly. The British call for vessels to cross the English Channel to rescue them. All available ships and boats, including British fishing boats, immediately set out from the southern coast of Britain to save the Allied soldiers. All told, more than 300,000 Allied soldiers are rescued and return to Britain. Among them are about 130,000 French soldiers, who form the Free French Army under the leadership of General De Gaulle. Although the rescue lifted British morale, it left the French alone and vulnerable to the German army.

June 22, 1940: Nazis Occupy Paris

France is overrun by the Nazis. On this date, the French sign an armistice with the Germans. Marshall Petain signs the agreement. He becomes head of the Vichy (Vichy: named for the place in France from which the government that was friendly to the occupying Germans operated) government that collaborates with the Nazi occupiers.

Invasion of Poland

Germany invaded, breaking their agreement, so Britain and France declared war, starting World War II

May 4, 1945: Surrender

Germany officially surrenders to the Allies.

August 1940: Battle of Britain

Great Britain sustains months of nearly nightly bombing by the German Luftwaffe. Britain's air force defends the nation by engaging in "dog fights" with the attacking German bombers. Many bombers are lost on each side, but Britain holds out against the Nazis, who eventually give up. Hitler is particularly angry, as he wanted to destroy Britain more than any other European nation.

Operation Barbarossa and Battle of Stalingrad

Hitler had his eye on Soviet resources for years, and at his insistence, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the invasion and hoped-for occupation of the Soviet Union. Hitler refused Germany military leaders suggestions of temporary withdrawal, causing most German soldiers dying from starvation or hunger either in the USSR or attempting to make their way home from it. starving German soldiers struggled to get out of Russia and head home, the Soviet army attacked them and decimated the remaining forces. At least 20 million lives were lost in the fighting on the Eastern Front.

March 1939: Invasion of Czechoslovakia

Hitler invades Czechoslovakia. His intention is to take control of parts of Sudetenland. This is the region of Czechoslovakia with a large ethnic German population.

May, 1940: Destruction of Rotterdam

Hitler orders a blitzkrieg against Holland and Belgium, pounding them with bombs, tanks, and armed forces. Rotterdam is nearly totally destroyed by the bombing. The Nazis quickly occupy these countries.

What happened at the Munich Conference?

September of 1938 Leaders from Germany , France, Britain and Italy. Leaders met to discuss Hitler's demands for the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. Britain and France choose to appease Hitler. The First Meeting: -September 15, 1938 -Hitler shows his willingness to go to war over the annexation of Sudetenland -Chamberlain manages to persuade Hitler to give some vague assurances that Germany will not invade Czechoslovakia -Chamberlain returns to Britain feeling positive about this outcome -Chamberlain meets with French representatives, and they urge the Czech government to agree to German demands -Czechs will consider this, as long as they are assured protection from invasion by Britain and France Second Meeting: -September 22 and 23, 1938 -Chamberlain seeks assurance of non-aggression from Hitler -Meeting does not go well -Hitler is unwilling to make any concessions on Czechoslovakia -Hitler keeps Chamberlain waiting for five hours on the second day, then he sends a memo outlining German demands for control of Sudetenland -Chamberlain still feels optimistic that an agreement can be reached Third Meeting: -September 29, 1938 -Chamberlain meets with Hitler, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, French officials, and others (no Czech representatives are present) -Chamberlain hands Hitler a memo essentially giving him everything that he wants -Agreement is finalized and approved by all those present -Nazis take over German-speaking regions within Czechoslovakia -Czechs are not guaranteed security and are told they must accept the dismemberment of their nation -Prior to leaving the conference, Chamberlain and Hitler sign a declaration of Anglo-German friendship -Chamberlain hails the agreement as having achieved "peace in our time" Result- We now know that Hitler was not trying to avoid war as many assumed. Rather, the historical record indicates that he was seeking to start a war. He actually wanted the conference to fail so that he could claim that war was his only option. Chamberlain's negotiations, therefore, only avoided the inevitable. By year's end, Germany controlled Sudetenland. When a crisis erupted over the long-running dispute over the port of Danzig (German name), or Gdansk (Polish name), the Germans decided to use that event to start the war they wanted earlier. The Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany. World War II had begun.

June 6, 1944: D-Day

The Allies launch their strategic attack against the Nazis. Thousands of transport boats carry U.S. and British forces across the English Channel. The forces, under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, land on the beaches of Normandy. The Germans had been fed false intelligence about a totally bogus invasion near Calais, so the Germans had moved most of their forces to that location. They were, therefore, unprepared for the Normandy invasion. The Normandy invasion began to turn the tide of the war. U.S. ground forces now fight with other Allied forces to push back the Nazis.

January 27, 1944: The German Siege of Leningrad is lifted

The German army was unable to take the city of Leningrad (today's St. Petersburg) outright, so they surrounded the city. The Siege of Leningrad (Leningrad: city in Russia that was under siege by the Nazis for more than two years; the deadliest siege in history with more than two million dead) lasted 872 days, from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. Although the Soviets managed to open a small land corridor out of the city, most city residents were cut off from the outside world for more than two years. In January 1944, the Soviet army finally defeated the German forces surrounding the city. The death toll from the siege was staggering. About 2.5 million Leningraders died of starvation or other effects of the siege. The Siege of Leningrad is one of the most deadly in world history.

April 1945: Russian invasion of Berlin

The Soviet army enters Berlin, sealing the Nazi defeat. The U.S. army enters Berlin shortly thereafter.

How did the effects of WWI set the stage for WWII?

The harshest punishment was the requirement that Germany pay other European nations reparations to cover their monetary losses in fighting the war. As you have learned, Germany was as bankrupt (from war spending) as every other European country. Its attempts to meet its reparations payments left Germany with devastating hyperinflation. fierce nationalism became so distorted that it led them to support the nationalist Nazi Party. The Nazi government, the Third Reich, whose capital was Berlin, promised to elevate the German ideal through conquest and rule of most, if not all, of the world. Nazi leaders spoke of a global "Thousand-Year Reich" that would reclaim German pride and impose a glorious German culture throughout the world.

July 1940: Division of France

To administer the occupation of France, the German military divided the country into two areas. The zone in the north was occupied France. It was administered directly by the German military. In the south, Germany created the Vichy government. This was a puppet regime led by the French Marshall Pétain.

February 1945: Yalta Conference

When it became clear that the Allies were going to defeat Germany, Allied leaders met at Yalta in the Crimea to determine the shape and fate of postwar Europe. The "Big Three (Big Three: the three central Allied leaders, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin, at the Yalta Conference in February 1945)" conferees were British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. Four major decisions came out of this meeting. First, different sectors of Germany would be occupied by the Big Three, plus France. Second, a United Nations conference on this matter would be held a year later. Third, the USSR would be granted control of lands in Asia as compensation for fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater. Fourth, Poland would be guaranteed a democratic government. Conference negotiations and agreements were kept secret, and critics claim that the Soviets received far more concessions than they were due.

Atlantic Charter

document signed by the United States and Great Britain in which they and all other signatories eschewed territorial aggression once World War II ended. The highlights were that: -territorial adjustments would be made taking into consideration the people they affected -the U.S. and Great Britain would not seek territorial gains as a result of the war's outcome -nations would have free access to raw materials -self-determination was a right of all people -an effort would be made to lower trade barriers -social welfare and global economic cooperation were recognized as being important -nations would work together to prevent fear -freedom of the seas was stated as being of importance -nations would work cooperatively towards disarmament The signing of the Atlantic Charter was a primary reason that Germany declared war on the United States in December 1941, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Battle of Britain

the Nazi bombing attacks on Great Britain between August-October 1940

What were the three Axis Powers and the goal of each?

the nations fighting the allies; Germany, Italy, and Japan

How did the U.S. support the Allied forces during the first two years of WWII?

when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Roosevelt called a special session of Congress to revise the U.S. Neutrality Act of 1935. The revised act permitted the United States to sell weapons and other war materials to its Allies in Europe that were fighting Nazi aggression. When France fell to the Nazis in June 1940, Roosevelt greatly increased munitions and other weapons supplies to Britain. in March 1941, Roosevelt got Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act, which committed the United States to supply arms and other necessary equipment to the European Allied Powers (Britain, France, the Soviet Union, China, and later the United States).